


No Holds Barred

by Beech27, Progman, RevyDutch



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1970s, F/F, Organized Crime, Original Soundtrack, Pro-Bending, Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-17 17:16:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5879125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beech27/pseuds/Beech27, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Progman/pseuds/Progman, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RevyDutch/pseuds/RevyDutch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pro-bending's gotten old. After nearly fifty years of the classic game, the public is clamoring for something different. Something more exciting. More extreme. More violent. The answer? An experiment that's just as likely to get the players killed as it is to make them legends. The rules are remarkably simple: Two teams enter; One team leaves. No time limits. No zones. No rounds. No fouls. No tie-breakers.</p><p>Pure tantalizing chaos broadcasted as brutal spectacle.</p><p>For the Fire Ferrets, it's an opportunity they can't afford to pass up. To get in on the ground floor of something great, and fight their way to the top. Rise up out of obscurity and barely making ends meet. Thing is, they've been playing by the rules for almost a decade, so thinking outside that very literal box won't come easy. At least, not without the help of a top-notch waterbender who's just as desperate as they are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Opening Shot

**Author's Note:**

> Just gonna get this outta the way so we're all on the same page:
> 
> **Korra and Asami are _still_ bisexual. Korra and Asami end up together. I didn't add F/M to the categories because it's not the 'main ship' and quickly becomes a Jerry/Elaine situation (Google it). Everyone's aged up around 3/4 years from how old they were when the series ended, meaning Korra is 25, Mako and Asami are both 26, etc. There will be performance enhancing drugs (of a sort) and some funky back-alley doctoring. Guns exist. M Rating is there for everything _but_ full-on smut, so just giving you a heads up on that.**
> 
> Anyway, *ahem*...
> 
> [](https://www.mediafire.com/view/?3y3dcsws1sdfix6)   
> 
> 
> It's a collaboration thing! With music! See, how those names are up there? Basically, Beech27 doesn't 'write' (I know, it doesn't make sense), so the vast majority of the actual written words you read here will have been done by me. But, everything behind the scenes (story, character, world building, romance, editing etc) we did together, and I'm so glad I dragged him along. And I think he is too :) So, yeah. 50/50. 
> 
> I'm also elated to announce that this fic comes with it's own original soundtrack, because itsrevydutch jumped nine conclusions mid-conversation and the next thing you know we've started a bunch of fictional 1970s J-Rock/Classic Rock/Psuedo-Eastern Jazz Fusion bands because it's the goddamn '70s. And she is one helluva composer, let me tell you. 
> 
> **Some of these tracks are meant to be consumed as diagetic music, that is to say it's exactly what Korra is listening to/hearing at certain points in the story, to enhance the immersion of the narrative. Those that are designed to be diagetic will be embedded in the chapters themselves, and those that aren't will be hyperlinked here or in the end notes section. All tracks will be available for free download when the following chapter is posted!**
> 
> Now, without further adieu...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody loves an underdog story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To get us started, we've got "Kept Us Up" by AG/NI, which, as the title and band name suggest, was based off of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long", which is so about Asami it's not even funny. Thank you to vannymore for pointing that out, and for the masterful sound mixing!.

_“A lot of people say that life is about being the right person at the right place at the right time, but that’s ridiculous. What about the rest of us? Who weren’t ‘right’, weren’t where we were supposed to be, and weren’t on time? We’re still here, living. Honestly, I think those people have it all wrong. Life is more about adapting and becoming exactly who you need to be. Then, time and place don’t matter so much.”_

_-_ Dr.Korra Atiqtalik, Chief of Surgery at Republic City General

 

* * *

 

Korra heard bells and tumbled back towards the edge of the ring. She rolled as she fell to the ground and skinned her arms and knees, stopping just short of the shallow drink. Bad enough that the earthbender was throwing concrete straight at her, but apparently this ‘Jin’ had _fists_ of concrete as well. She rubbed her pounding jaw, her other hand drifting toward her waterbelt. Korra glared at her opponent, the large basement flood lights obscured by their imposing figure.

All muscle stalking toward her, despite her age of around 55. At least a foot taller. No old injuries to exploit, all callouses and scar tissue. And her heart rate was calm. Exactly the same things she’d seen when the fight began. Korra couldn’t win an endurance match, and if she drew it out any longer, to wait for the earthbender to make a mistake, she’d get hurt. Bad. She needed to finish it. Fast.

The ‘fans’ in the packed stands around them seemed to agree. They tossed drinks and random bits of food down into the ring, hurling just as many insults as they did concessions. Korra felt the long faded fear creep its way through her, and she let it flow before it clouded her. The announcer blabbered something about a timer, but Korra wasn’t paying attention.

She’d already found a way to win. Nothing solved problems quite like adrenalin.

Korra rolled to her feet, and drew water from the moat that surrounded the ring - as well as the channels that cut through it. She spun, avoiding jagged spikes of concrete, and vaporized the water around her into a thick cloud of fog. Without hesitation, Korra used what was left of the water in her belt to surf around behind Jin and sweep the wave straight toward her. But Jin was smart, and Korra had banked on that. The earthbender had already encased herself in a barrier of concrete and exploded out of it the moment the wave passed her by.

Which also left her vulnerable.

Korra smirked, slid underneath the stone debris and condensed the fog back into water, slamming it into Jin’s back in a deluge of strikes. The earthbender fell forward, her momentum halted by the base of Korra’s palm smashing into her clavicle. Bone cracked and Korra flipped her on to the soggy ground, pinning her and, just for good measure, freezing her legs to the floor.

The bell rang and Korra matched its rhythm with heaving breaths. “ _We have a winner! Yet another 11th hour upset from Korra!”_ boomed the announcer, the speakers crackling at his rather ridiculous choice of volume.

Korra released Jin from the pin and extended her hand. “Good fight,” she said. Barely. No wind. No words. Short sentences. She took a deep breath, composed herself. “Don’t get up too fast. Your collarbone is broken.”

Jin swatted her hand away and struggled to her feet, groaning at the obvious pain. She spat in Korra’s face, then exited to the right, clutching her shoulder. Korra watched as a slimy looking man in a dark red suit started screaming at her. Probably her coach. Agent. Manager. Somebody.

Korra huffed and waterbent the spit off of her face. Clearly _someone_ had never tried to insult a waterbender. She refilled her belt and blinked away the blood and sweat that dripped down her eyes. She walked out of the ring and into the makeshift locker room, the ceiling peeling away to old exposed piping. She gave herself a thorough once-over.

Deep purple bruises covered her exposed brown skin, and several other places that she’d have to attend to later. Her lip was split and she had a decent gash on her temple. All in all, satisfying. She opened her locker, grabbed her towel from her bag, and wiped herself down, using her sweat to perform minor healing on her open wounds and the worst of her bruises. Didn’t do much more than stop the bleeding and reduce swelling, but it’d make getting home that much more comfortable.

She considered changing into fresh clothes, but decided that she’d just do the same after a shower back home. She settled on slipping on her track jacket, covering her bruised arms.

Korra clipped her SatoStereo cassette player to her pants and wrapped the cheap plastic headphones around her neck. She hoisted her gym bag over her shoulder and, with a wide yawn, almost walked into Butaka. She chuckled and gave the large, bald, hatted man a little wave. “Hey, Mister Organizer! Wow, great timing. Just the man I wanted to see.”

“Figured I’d save you the trouble of tracking me down and bring you your cut myself.” He handed her a bundle of bright red yuans. “You did great out there. And so brutal! Crowd loves that stuff.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they do…” Korra grabbed the cash and flipped through the bills. And quite a few were missing. Butaka couldn’t be so stupid as to believe that she wouldn’t notice being shorted while was standing _right in front of him._ “Butaka, last I checked, we agreed to fifteen percent. This is ten.” She raised a brow and crossed her arms.

Butaka frowned. “Fifteen was something to aspire to, not for me to actually pay! I can’t afford that kind of cut! You...weren’t supposed to win.”

“What do you mean I wasn’t supposed to win?!” Korra tilted her head. “Oh, I get it. You bet against me. Well, thanks for your vote of confidence, but tough luck. I won. Now pay up.”

“Korra---”

“Look,” Korra pinched the bridge of her nose. “I just _really_ need the money, okay?”

“So do I! Any idea how expensive it is to push a kid through med school?”

Korra blushed. That was a new one. “Well, then, uh…” she sputtered. “You---you’ve gotta empathize with me then, right? Because I also know how expensive that is.” She smiled. “...please?”

Butaka chewed on his lip and eyed her. “Eleven percent.”

Korra narrowed her eyes. “Fourteen.”

“Twelve.”

“Deal.” Korra gave his hand a firm shake. “Just don’t do that again, okay? If you can only afford ten, say _ten._ ”

“Yeah, yeah. Made your point. You know, you’re damn lucky the high-stakes gamblers show up when you do.” Butaka grumbled and gave her the rest of her cut. “Give me a call when you’re up for another match.” He tipped his hat and walked out of the locker room.

“Will do!” Korra smiled. “Tell your daughter I said good luck!”

“Absolutely not!”

Korra shrugged and pocketed her winnings. At least, she tried. The bruise on her hip made it difficult. She pulled her headphones over her ears and pressed play, the cassette spinning into place with a satisfying click.

Korra bobbed her head in time with the song and mouthed the lyrics. She wasn’t much for singing, at least not the kind that would leave her voice sounding like she gargled with gravel. As the song went on, it became more and more obvious that she had _a lot_ of tension to unwind.

A nice, long, hot shower would do the trick. She closed her eyes and smiled as she imagined how the water would pour down her back, soothing the tension her body was still carrying. And then, oh, and _then_ she’d---

“Hey, do you have a minute?”

Korra jumped as someone grabbed her arm. On instinct, she swatted it away and took off her headphones. She was about to pin the man to the wall of the tunnel when she realized there were two of them. One tall and lanky, with treated black hair, gold eyes and...rather distinct eyebrows. The other, shorter, but still taller than her, well built with tousled hair and green eyes.

They looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place their faces.

“Woah! Didn’t mean to scare you, there,” said the shorter one. He smiled and held up his palms. “Hello, I’m Bolin, and this is my brother Mako. Think he might’ve forgotten his manners somewhere tonight, but that’s okay. You were _awesome_ out there!”

Korra raised a brow and looked between the brothers. Okay. Fans? Fans. Fans were new, but not unwelcome. At least, she thought not. Fans were...generally good. “Thanks.” She blinked. Oh, right. “Do you guys want my signature or something? Sorry, a little new at this.”

Bolin smiled wider and clapped his hands together. “Funny you should mention that---”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” said Mako, cutting off his brother with an odd look. He turned back to her. “Korra, right?”

“That’s me.” Korra chuckled. “Woulda thought fans would know my name, but it’s---don’t worry about it. Those speakers are terrible.”

“Why do you think we’re fans?”

“You’re not?” Korra wrinkled her nose. “Then why did you stop me in the middle of this tunnel?”

Bolin opened his mouth but closed it as Mako elbowed him.

Korra sighed. “Look, I’ve got a bus to catch, so if you two don’t mind…” She slipped between the two brothers and gave them a half-wave behind her back. “See you around. Nice meeting you, I guess.”

“WAITDON’TGOWEWANTYOUTOJOINOURTEAM!” yelled Bolin.

Korra slowed to a stop and turned around. She smirked once she saw Bolin grinning from ear to ear. Something about that guy just screamed genuine. Maybe it was just the way he carried himself, but she was pretty sure it was because he literally _radiated_ positive energy.

Hard not to like somebody like that.

“You wanna run that by me again?” she asked. “I didn’t quite catch it.”

Mako smacked his forehead so hard that it actually echoed through the tunnel. “Bolin! You can’t just jump right in like that! We talked about this!”

Bolin put his hands on his hips. “Why not, Mako? Really, why not? Oh, so we spend a week going from pick up game to pick up game, college to college, scouting for talent and not finding any, but now that we have you’re, what, unsure? Not entirely convinced?”

“It’s not that I’m not convinced, but this a big deal, remember?”

Bolin put his hand on his chest. “Oh, I know! I _remember_ ! I told you this morning, hey, Mako, why don’t we check out the underground probending scene? _It’s pretty similar._ And then we do, and we see Korra---” He turned to look at her with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, we know you’re here. Just give us a minute.”

Korra snickered into a loud laugh and leaned against the wall. “No, no, it’s all right. Take your time. This is great.”

“Thank you.” Bolin cleared his throat and refocused on Mako. “As I was saying, now we’re here and you’re not _jumping_ at the chance to recruit exactly the kind of waterbender we need? What’s wrong with you?”

Korra’s ears perked up. They wanted her for a probending team. Which meant that--- “Oh! I know where I’ve seen you guys before!” She closed the distance between them with a giddy smile. “You’re the Fire Ferrets, right? The ‘3-1-1’!”

“Actually, it’s just ‘1-1’ since Hasook quit the team, but yes, that’s us,” said Bolin. “Didn’t think people still used that nickname.”

Mako sighed. “They chant it at every match, Bo.”

“Yeah, but, they’re not _serious._ ”

“Pretty sure they are. Can you even remember a time when Hasook didn’t get knocked back into Zone Three within the first thirty seconds?”

Korra bit back laughter. “I can’t, if it helps. No offense, but he is probably the worst waterbender I have ever seen. And I’ve been in snowball fights with toddlers. Even got the scars to prove it.”

Mako smiled. Finally. “Kids are smart. They add rocks.” He cocked his head at Bolin. “Or in his case _throw_ rocks and forget about the snow.”

“Hey, we won, didn’t we?” defended Bolin.

Korra tucked her hair behind her ear. “Not to cut this wonderful look into the lives of the ‘Fabulous Bending Brothers’ short…” She adjusted her gym bag. “...but I’m pretty sure you guys wanted to talk to me about something, right? Something important?” Her stomach growled loud enough to echo through the tunnel, and Bolin’s followed soon after. Because apparently stomach rumbling was as contagious as yawning. “...tell you what. You two pay for a late dinner, and we can talk about it. You’ve got my attention.”

Mako looked at her, dumbfounded. “Really?”

“Sure, why not? I mean, okay, if your brother wasn’t so enthusiastic about everything I wouldn’t be standing here right now, considering the idea. But he is, so I am.” She flashed Mako a crooked grin. “You should try it sometime. Being positive and passionate. Bet it suits you.”

“I have been saying that for _years,”_ said Bolin. “So...where are we eating?”

Korra jabbed her thumb behind her, toward street level. “There’s a great little place a few blocks down. Narook’s.”

“Sounds good,” said Mako. “But first…” He shook her hand. “Mako Lieng.”

Korra smiled. Somebody found his manners. “Korra Atiqtalik.”

Bolin shook her hand and clicked his tongue. “Oooh, we are gonna have to shorten that last name.”

“Why? What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s way too hard to pronounce for a stage name.”

Korra started to walk out of the tunnel. “No it isn’t. Ah-teek Tah-Leek. Simple.”

Bolin jogged up beside her. “Sure, but it _looks_ way more complicated.”

Korra snorted. “You have no idea how it’s even spelled.”

Mako joined her on the other side. “She’s got you there, Bo.”

Korra gave the large, barrel chested security guard a nod as they approached the exit. He returned the gesture, slid the large steel beam away from the door, and pulled it open. Slow, cool wind, swept through tunnel from the doorway and settled once they had entered the alleyway. The door slammed and locked behind them.

Steam rose from the vents alongside the sidewalk and stylish, sleek satomobiles roared down the street, their headlights passing in a blur. A news chopper flew overhead, its spotlight scanning the ground back and forth. A cruise ship blared its horn as it approached the docks across the street, shooting off fireworks and blasting old elevator music. The full moon was bright overhead, but not a single star in the sky.

There were never any damn stars.

 

* * *

 

Korra put on a lazy smile as she nudged her way into Narook’s. It was as packed as she’d ever seen it, but getting a table, and food, wouldn’t be a problem. The decor looked like one of those old fashioned Little Watertribe dives, because it was. Or, had been at one time. Decorative furs, elaborate wood carvings and watercolor paintings adorned the walls. Along with photographs of the movers and shakers of way back when. Might not be a popular hangout among Republic City’s political revolutionaries anymore, but damn if it wasn’t still delicious.

Bolin whistled as he closed the door behind them. “How’d you find this place?”

“Used to work here,” she said. She gave the hostess a friendly wave. “Broke up some nasty bar fights, waited on tables, delivered a baby, helped in the kitchen, performed an emergency appendectomy...” She looked over her shoulder to glance at Mako. “Y’know, waitress stuff.”

Mako raised his brows. “They pay you extra for that?”

“You’d think so, right?”

“Korra? Party of three?” announced the hostess. She motioned them over, and they nudged their way through the crowd. She lead them to a booth in the back and Korra scooched in across from the brothers.

“We’ll each have an order of the tigerseal kebabs,” Korra told the hostess. “And they’re paying.”

The hostess wrote down their order. “Okay, that’ll be out soon. Anything else?”

“No, that’s it. Thanks.”

She left with a small nod.

Bolin tapped his hands on the table. “Wow. Cool place. What’d you do to get this kind of VIP treatment? You’ve got the _hostess_ doing waitress stuff!”

Korra dropped her gym bag in the empty seat beside her. “Uh, the stuff I just told you about. Wasn’t kidding.”

Bolin seemed to consider that for a moment. “Oookay, then. Mako, do you want to start? I started last time, but I know how much you love starting, so then I can come in, right at the best parts, and make it all sound amazing.” He smiled. “But you still get to start!”

Mako looked away from his brother to Korra. “Right. So, how much do you know about probending?”

“As much as I can, really,” said Korra. “Been watching matches since I was a kid, and listening to old radio broadcasts at the library of the ones before they had TV. I gotta say, if you go back to the beginning, it’s crazy.” She shook her head with a smile. “It still cracks me up that it took ten years to ban _hosing._ How many times do you have to watch a waterbender throw a river at somebody before you start to think ‘hey, maybe that’s unfair’?”

“It just seems so obvious now.” Mako chuckled. “That’s one of the best, but I still think it doesn’t quite beat that guy who heated half of the ring _with his feet._ And nobody noticed until it was way too late.”

“That one’s legendary. There’s clever, and then there’s brilliant.” Korra rolled her sore shoulders. “It’s a real shame you can’t see stuff like that anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the game, always will, but there’s only so many ways a match can go, y’know?”

Mako and Bolin exchanged a look. Way to stick her foot in her mouth. _Smooth_.

Korra bit her lip and flashed an apologetic smile. “But that’s not the nicest thing to say to _actual_ pro-benders. Sorry.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” said Bolin. “Trust me, you wouldn’t be thinking that way if you were in the ring. From the outside, sure, but when you’re bobbing and weaving…” he said, actually bobbing and weaving within the small confines of the booth. “Nothing else like it.”

“I’ll bet. It’s hard enough one on one, but three on three?” Korra whistled. “Not sure I could handle that. I mean you guys saw how close I got to getting my ass handed to me like an hour ago.”

“That’s not what I saw,” said Mako. “You took some hits, sure, we all do, but you were in control that entire match. She moved where you wanted, fought how you wanted. That’s...not really something you can teach.”

Korra smiled. “Wow. Uhm, thank you. I guess it just sorta came naturally to me.”

“How long have you been doing the underground circuits?”

“A year. Year and a half, maybe.” She scratched the back of her head. “I’m actually glad you guys didn’t see those earlier matches. Not some of my best performances. It, uh, took me a while to... _get_ the whole ‘no rules’ thing.” She fiddled with her zipper. “Grew up on Major League Bending, so it was a bit of a culture shock. And painful,” she said with a chuckle. The TV up at the bar caught her eye. “Speaking of, think the Wolfbats are playing.”

A pasty looking waterbender moved with the camera, tossing streams of water down the arena and redirecting the ones thrown at him faster than his opponents could react. In a manner of seconds, they all fell into the drink. The restaurant exploded in cheers and clinking glasses - with the notable exceptions of Mako and Bolin.

And herself. Obviously.

Bolin frowned and crossed his arms on the table. “Aaaaaand they’re done.” He waved his hands sarcastically. “Yay. Yet another victory for the Wolfbats.” The hostess returned with their order and Bolin’s frown turned upside down. “Yay! Tigerseal!”

“Enjoy!” said the hostess, going back to work.

Korra dug into her place, shoving half a kebab in her mouth and chewing. “Are they really as big of jerks that the media makes them out to be? I saw Keisai on a talk show once and he seemed okay.” She swallowed. “Arrogant as hell, but otherwise fine.”

Mako sighed. “Trust me, they’re even bigger jerks than you think. The firebender’s the only one who’s decent at hiding it.” He leaned back and tried one of the cuts. “I swear, sometimes he sounds just like a lawyer…” His eyebrows rose and he, again, actually smiled. “Wow. These are fantastic.”

“Told you. They’re not _fresh,_ but as close as they’re gonna be this far north.” She tored off another piece of meat. “So how long have you two been probending, anyway? Can’t be that long.”

“Well, we started when Bolin was fourteen so...around nine years. But seven of those were in the minors.”

Korra choked on her food. “Damn, you guys are _actual_ veterans! I can’t believe I didn’t know that.”

“Not surprising. We’re not exactly superstars.” Bolin shrugged and pulled a completely clean kebab stick out of his mouth. “Triads don’t like upstarts. But they’re warming up to us.” He grinned.

Mako covered his face with his hand. “No. No they are not. They’re warming up to you because you’re too nice to tell them to fuck off.”

“Hey, I’m not a fan of picking fights, okay?”

“You’re a pro-bender!”

“ _Outside of the ring._ Jeez, Mako.”

And then there was silence. Not necessarily awkward, but silence all the same. Okay, it was awkward, because Korra was a little uneasy at how casually Bolin brought up organized crime. Maybe it was just a bad joke?

Yeah. Probably just a bad joke.

Korra cleared her throat. “Okay, I think it’s time for me to fulfill my end of the bargain. After all, you did feed me.” She slid her empty plate to the edge of the table and folded her hands in front of her. “Make your pitch. Why do I want to join the Fire Ferrets?”

Mako leaned in. “It’s a bit more complicated than that. You wouldn’t just be joining the team. You’d be joining an entirely new league. Not Major League Bending.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Word’s been getting around that this big television executive is about to launch a new bending league. Completely different from what we have now.”

“...different how? And is this just a rumor? Because that’s not a good thing to act on.”

Bolin chimed in. “Not a rumor. A friend of ours showed us some of the posters and magazine ads that are going to go out soon. They’re calling it ‘Varrick League Bending’.”

Korra wrinkled her nose. “The guy who makes the snack cakes?”

“He does a lot of things, but this, Korra, this is _huge._ VLB? Twice the prize money, _minimum._ More exposure, product endorsements, every kind of media hookup you can think of, talk show appearances every other day, maybe even mover deals! This Varrick guy’s trying to take this to the _moon._ ” Bolin pointed up at the ceiling. “It’s gonna play a lot like the underground circuit. That’s on purpose. No rules. No time limits. No zones. Just one match to the last player standing.”

“Two teams enter. One team leaves,” said Mako.

Korra’s mouth fell open. “You’re shitting me.”

“Nope.”

“That sounds incredibly brutal,” she said. She didn’t even try to hide the excitement creeping into her voice. If there was one thing she’d liked about the underground circuit, it was that it gave her a chance to get creative with how she used her bending. Few things were off-limits, and no trick was too underhanded. “It sounds amazing.” And yet, she was grossly under qualified to take part in something like that. Which was a damn shame. “I’d love to watch that!”

Mako smirked. “Why watch when you can be a part of the action?”

Korra sighed. “Because you’re trying to project my talent at a completely untested competitive bending form on one single match that you just saw. I’m no professional, Mako.” She rolled out her arm. “I don’t have experience playing with a team outside of all-waterbender pickup games back home. And those were _years_ ago.”

“You’re wrong. I’ve been doing this for almost a decade, and I _know_ talent when I see it. You played exactly like a professional tonight, and I’ve never seen that done with dumb luck.”

“Again, thank you. I’m flattered, but this just seems...wrong.” She gave him a sad smile and shook her head. “I’m sorry, but if it was just regular probending, I might be willing to give it a shot. But this? This is a completely different animal. Might be like what I’m doing, but I’m doing that solo.”

Mako narrowed his eyes. “You’re a waterbender. _Adapt._ ”

Korra met his gaze. “You think that’s gonna sway me? I’m trying to be courteous, because you two bought dinner, but if you’re going to act like an ass and pull this kind of crap---what happened to the guy I was talking to like two minutes ago? Hey, can I have him back? He was fun. You’re sorta not.”

“This isn’t just some game to us, okay? It’s our lives, so I’m probably going to be a little sensitive about it.”

“No, no, that’s...that’s fair. I need to respect that.”

Bolin looked between them, gave them an exaggerated groan and smacked his forehead. “You guys are so bad at this.” He slammed his hands on the table. “Korra. How would you like to see something _awesome_?”

Korra couldn’t help but smile. How could one person's attitude be so infectious? “Yeah, I’m down for awesome stuff. What did you have in mind, Bolin?”

Bolin pulled away and started to pick at his nails. “Oh, nothing too special. Just this little project that they’ve been working on in the stadium. All very hush-hush.”

“That so?”

“Mhmm.”

Mako snickered. “Bo, c’mon.”

“Hey, this is going to work. You’ve got her on the fence. All she needs---” Bolin looked at her. “You _are_ on the fence about this, right?”

Korra shrugged. “I’m kinda too tired to know. Maybe?”

“Close enough. Trust me. This is gonna push you right over and into the ring.”

Korra laughed once. “Okay, Bolin. But, whatever it is, it had better the single most awesome thing---”

 

* * *

 

“---I have ever seen!” exclaimed Korra. She leaned over the edge of the construction rafters and gaped at the arena below. Made of solid sandstone and forty feet thick. Suspended above a drink twice as large as normal, and filled directly from the bay. She laughed in disbelief. “This is incredible!”

It was hard not to imagine how she’d fare in an arena like that. She saw herself lobbing entire sheets of ice while floating in a water spout, moving faster than anyone could hit her. Creating fog around the enemy and freezing them in place. Boiling water, water whips---hell, if she focused hard enough, she could pull a massive wave from the bay itself.

Mako put his hand on her shoulder. Bruises be damned, it was nice to meet people who were supportive! And just...gorgeous. Gorgeous never hurt. Even if the welt on her shoulder did...

“Lost in the possibilities, huh?” said Mako.

“Yeah…” she mused. “It’s just---it’s one thing for you guys to _tell me_ that this sort of thing is gonna happen, but seeing it? I could cut loose. I mean, I could _really_ cut loose.”

“You’d also have padded gear,” said Bolin. “Which is flame retardant, water proof and…” He stroked his chin. “Y’know, I’ve never tested it, but I’m pretty sure it keeps sand out too.”

“How enticing.” Korra chewed on her lower lip. She was already stuck where she was. With her salary _and_ the extra yuans she brought in from the underground circuit, she had to face facts. She wasn’t anywhere close to what she needed. That could only change with a miracle.

Unless she just went with the flow. Let the current take her wherever it lead. Made the miracle herself. Oh, who was she kidding. She couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this. Even if it was crazy risky. She’d been fighting in the dark long enough.

Time to step into the spotlight.

But before that...

Korra looked up at Mako. “Trial run,” she said, poking him in the chest. “I train with you guys for a week, every night, and if we work well together, I’m on board. All the way.” She turned around and rested the small of her back on the railing. “If not, I’m out. That’s the best I can do.”

“Okay. Sounds fair to me.” Mako nodded. “Twenty yuans that you make up your mind in the next forty eight hours.”

Korra shot him a crooked grin. “You’re on, pretty boy.”

She’d do it in seventy two. After all, twenty yuans was another dinner covered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Atiqtalik, iirc, roughly translates to "Mother of Polar Bears". Thought it was more than perfect for Korra. Lieng is...I honestly cannot remember how we came up with it, may have just popped in there, but honestly I feel like it works.
> 
> There's lots of stuff happening in the intro chapter, clearly, and it was certainly difficult figuring out what was ultimately vital for the 'opening shot', if you will. How this world is different, how it's the same (the underground bending ring Korra fights in is supposed to be the same place where Amon held is Revelation rally in 1x03) and what key aspects of the narrative need to be introduced. We all know that it's Wolfbats vs Fire Ferrets, but there's a ton of other stuff going on, too, as should be evident by the tags. Also, we tried very hard not to do anything even remotely similar to the 'California Conversation' thing where people dump their entire lives on another person at the drop of a hat, because that's not how people typically operate. Bolin bringing up the triads was something we talked about, but thought it was appropriate since he's just that trusting a guy, and, as in canon, feels like there's something special about Korra. And yes, Asami did in fact help in inventing this universe's "walkman", and there's even a fun story behind it, which we'll get to.
> 
> So, first impressions of this AU? How do you feel about the music integration? What did you think of the song itself? Would you rather that be kept separate? What stuck out, what didn't you like, what worked, etc. Remember, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!


	2. Not Quite Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mornings are evil, and sometimes they're just downright malevolent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Official Kya Consultation by itsrevydutch, Keisai is property of iviscrit. This time, we've got "Free Dragonbird" by Lyong Fyeng, which...well, clearly that's an adaptation of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird".

_The blizzard had bleached the sky. It consumed everything around her in featureless, endless white. They’d gone too far south, and the everstorm had swallowed them whole. There were no shadows.  Korra thought she was blind.  No silhouettes, no footprints, not even the sharpened wind that cut at her cheeks._

_She was going to freeze to death._

_Korra focused on the snow raging around her and drew it toward her, bending it into ice.  She danced through the tempest.  With each movement, each practiced step, the air became clearer until the roaring wind calmed to a comforting breeze.  The sky cleared and the full moon brightened the night, casting a cool glow over the world she’d frozen._

_She was in complete control.  Fear had become peace.  Anxiety had become confidence.  Guilt had...was still guilt.  But the tide was always changing._

 

* * *

 

Korra opened her eyes, still surrounded by the ice and silence.She didn’t move, but didn’t retreat either.  She mouthed her address, to the tiniest detail.  Once, twice, a third time, refusing to blink. The ice began to melt, fading into nothing. Then, she whispered it aloud, her voice hoarse.  “Apartment 5A, 129 West 81st Street, Dragon Flats, Republic City, Yu Dao Prefecture, United Republic of Nations.”  And again, and again, until only the truth remained.

Her home.  The one she’d chosen.  Routine.  All she needed was routine.

Korra’s clock radio blared an aggravating buzzing sound.  She rolled over under the covers and groaned, her entire body aching from the beating she’d taken the night before.  She held her stuffed polar bear dog tight. She stared at the analog numbers as the minutes rolled over from 5:45 to 5:46 with a loud mocking click.

She pushed her pillow off of her head and sat up in her small bed, running a hand through her cropped, matted hair. With some hesitation, she stretched into a yawn and winced as she found her _everything_ even more tender than she’d thought it would be.  Korra rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes and switched off the alarm, flicking the tab down to ‘radio’.

“ _...you early birds out there, we’ve got a little treat for yah!”_ said the disc jockey. _“This is ‘Free Dragonbird’ by Lyong Fyeng to get your morning blood pumping extra quick!”_

Korra bobbed her head in time with the beat as it came in stronger, her heart pounding faster in her chest as she swung her sore legs out of bend and onto the floor.  She shuffled across her tiny apartment, her feet scuffing along the cool wooden floor, and opened her shades.  She shielded her eyes from the blinding light of the sun just as the elevated train zoomed past across the street, rattling her building’s foundation.

She scratched her back and made her way into the bathroom, pulling off her loose top and tossing it into the hamper.  Korra leaned over the sink with eyes half closed, staring down the mirror.  She gave herself a clinical examination, testing for injuries deeper than they appeared. Most of the bruises and welts had vanished with the shower she’d taken before bed, but a few stubborn ones remained, particularly around her hips and shoulders.  Her lip had almost healed, and the gash was gone.  

Just one more shower should do the trick.

Korra stripped down out of her underwear, dropped them in the bin, and turned on the shower head, spraying freezing cold water out into her tub.  She focused on the temperature, the water, and the pipes, and heated it to something much more soothing as she stepped into the shower (hot water wasn’t free). She closed the curtains let the warmth wash over her with a calm blue glow.  She washed her hair, and everything else, the muffled chords of her radio making it past the pattering of rain, and hopped out of the shower, drying herself off with a few flicks of the wrist.  

She brushed her teeth and grinned after she spat out the paste.  All healed up.  At least, on the outside.  Still a little sore, but the good kind of sore.  Satisfied, she returned to her dresser, reset her clock radio, and donned her tracksuit. She walked over to her kitchenette and turned on her tiny television set, only to be greeted with the _always_ welcome morning static.  Korra slapped the box a few times before the picture settled.

“ _...tensions continue to rise between the Fire Nation and the allied coalition of the United Republic and the Federation of Earth Kingdom States.  Despite the western continent’s supposed monopoly over nuclear material, sources across the Mo Ce Sea claim that the Fire Nation has been hard at work developing their own weapons of---”_

Korra huffed. Boring, same old thing.  Not to mention depressing.  She turned the dial to the next channel.  Which was only a ‘PLEASE STAND BY’ placard with a picture of a Sun Warrior on it.  She twisted again, hoping for something at least _somewhat_ interesting, and the airwaves rewarded her with the weather.  Good enough.

“ _...highs of around 59 today in Republic City, with lows going as far down as 27 after sunset…”_

Korra made herself scrambled eggs and instant coffee while she half listened to a report about the rise in triad activity.  Somehow, that was better than hearing about all those geopolitical things.  Local was something she could actually deal with, after all.  She scarfed down her food and drank her coffee in a few large gulps, almost immediately feeling the rush and the strain on her eyes recede.  

Korra cracked her neck and washed her dishes, not wanting to do them later when she was inevitably exhausted.  She grabbed a banana from her shelf, turned the TV off and hoisted her gym bag over her shoulder.  Finally, she clipped her SatoStereo to her waterbelt and wrapped the cheap plastic headphones around her neck.   

Time to start the day---

Her phone rang and Korra felt like slamming her head against the wall. “Fuck me,” she growled, stomping over to the rotary and snatching up the handset.  “Yes, hello?”

“ _Good morning, Korra.  I just got your message,”_ said Kya.  “ _I’m glad I caught you before you left for the day.  I wanted to talk to you for minute.”_

Korra perked up and cleared her throat, pushing her frustration aside.  Now was not the time to snap at her boss.  Actually, there was never a time where that was a good idea.  “Yeah, I’m really sorry about the short notice on that, but it’s big, it just sorta popped up, and I need to see it through.  I’d reschedule if I could, I promise.”

“ _Korra, this isn’t some doctor’s appointment or an emergency.  We both know that.”_ Kya sighed.  “ _I understand how excited you are, and how this all sounds too good to be true, and that you’re not dumb.”_

Korra put a hand on her hip.  “I haven’t signed or committed to anything yet.  I’m taking it slow, all right?”

 _“Good, I’m glad.  I know I can’t talk you out of this, hell I wouldn’t be able to talk_ me _out of this, but I just wanted to remind you to be careful.”_

“I can take care of myself, but thank you.”

 _“I know you can; mom certainly made sure of that,”_ she chuckled, and Korra felt her heart slide into her stomach. “ _Just watch your back, okay? And don’t forget about all these sick little kids who are going to be asking me all day ‘where’s Korra’ and ‘where’s the nice pretty lady’?”_

Korra felt her cheeks burn.  Definitely her favorite part of the job.  “Okay, I won’t.”  She checked her watch and bit her lip.  “Look, I’ve got a bus to catch, so I’ll call you later.”

“ _Good luck, Korra.”_

“Thanks.” She hung up the phone and took a deep breath, pushing her thoughts of Katara aside for the moment.  There would time to ruminate later.  Now, she needed to move, work, and show just how much ass she could kick.

Korra grabbed her keys off of the ring, and, in a perfect replication of almost four years of muscle memory, left her apartment.  Locked her door, hopped down the stairs, ran outside, and jogged a few blocks north to her bus stop, arriving just as it pulled up to the curb.  She dropped the fare in the slot and found a handhold in the center of the bus.  She didn’t need to sit.

She weaved between the growing crowd of passengers and zoned out as she watched the city pass her by.  Skyscrapers a hundred stories high, some even taller, dwarfed her as they made their way through the center of downtown.  Joggers in the park, office workers and well dressed executives (One of which caught her eye in particular, if only for a moment; Korra was a sucker for black and red) marching their way into elegant buildings as food stand vendors called out to them, promising a meal they could likely never deliver.  Traffic surged around them, horns blaring and taxis weaving in and out of lanes three or four at a time.

In short, Republic City.  

Korra peeled her banana and started to eat it, taking a lazy look at some of the bus ads.  VarriCakes. The Evening Show with Sano Guo, weeknights at 9, only on VBC! New satomobile models touted with a brilliant new innovation called an ‘airbag’, whatever that was.  Cabbage cars stating the same but with…’waterbags’.  Korra pulled the stop cord and hopped off of the bus, tossing the banana peel into a nearby garbage can.

And then she finally caught sight of the stadium.

Enormous, gold, and far older than her.  She’d heard somewhere that it had been designed to work _with_ the bay.  Some sort of cohabitation, back when that was popular in architecture. Other than that, it just looked pretty.  And void of screaming crowds and spotlights.  Then again, she’d never been there during the day.

Korra waited at the curb and checked her watch. Just a little early.  She jogged across the crosswalk once it signaled her, quickly making her way through the parking lot and up to the main entrance, throwing open the doors---

Locked.

Korra pouted, trying the doors again, but without success.  She tried another set, which were also locked.  “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” mumbled Korra.  She bit the inside of her cheek and looked out across the bay, along the edge of the stadium’s foundation.  Huh.

She walked over to the side of the building and spotted an open window.  Well, she _could_ dive in and waterbend herself up with a spout, but---no, she shouldn’t.  She kicked the ground and turned around, spotting a side door, propped open with a brick.  

Korra chuckled and slipped inside, smacking her forehead. Way to think like a crazy teenager! Her first impression might’ve gone fantastic with the bending brothers - specifically one of them - but leaping through a third story window when she could use a door?  Thinking outside the box was one thing, but that...that was just excessive.

She made her way up the stairs and toward their reserved gym. “‘Morning---” She shouldered the door open with a lazy smile.  Which vanished once she realized that the four people in the room were _not_ Mako and Bolin.

The Wolfbats stared at her expectantly.  Tahno Kuze, the pasty and impossibly arrogant waterbender.  Keisai Sabad, the fame-lusted and excessively well groomed firebender. Kuvira Feng, the intense hard-eyed earthbender.  And, because Korra had the best luck, their ruthless coach, Suyin Beifong.  

Korra had thought she looked threatening on TV, but that was nothing compared to seeing her in person. Her grey hair and sharp features were daunting enough on her tiny washed out screen, but now she looked like she was about to bite someone’s head off, all without the slightest hint of a scowl.  Which was even more unnerving.

Korra rubbed the back of her head.  “I, uh, must have the wrong room,” she said, forcing a chuckle. “I’m looking for 303?”

“This _is_ 303,” said Suyin, narrowing her eyes.  “Well, what are you waiting for? You brought your tools.  Get started.  We don’t have all day.”

“I think you have me confused---”

“Look, Water Tribe,” said, Tahno, sleazing over to her. “You people promised us a very important service, for the whole damn season.” He grabbed her arm.  “So you either get your tight little ass over there and get to work, or we’re going to have a problem.”

“Oh, don’t be so _aggressive,_ Tahno!” said Keisai with a wide grin.  “Look at her! First time out on your own, right? If you’re nervous, don’t worry about it.  I’ll let you in on a little secret-- I _still_ haven’t gotten used to this.”

“Suyin,” said Kuvira, giving Korra a careful glance.  “I don’t think---”

Suyin glared at her. “Now is _not_ the time for this, Kuvira.”

“That’s not what I mean.  I don’t think she’s who we’re waiting for.”

Korra looked between the four of them, unsure if she should feel baffled or disgusted.  She settled on disgusted and yanked her arm away from Tahno.  “Fuck off, you slimy, pasty piece of camelyak shit,” she growled.  “Let me make this perfectly clear: I am _not_ a hooker!  Who even orders one for something like this so early in the morning?!” she yelled, waving her arm.  “And another thing---”

A tall, handsome, brown skinned man in a light blue suit, opened the door behind her. He was carrying a doctor’s bag that felt...odd.  The man stepped around her, one of his long wolftails brushing against her shoulder. “I’m deeply sorry for my tardiness.  Another client of mine had a bit of a... _crisis of faith_ ,” he said, looking over at Korra.  “What’s all the commotion about?”

“They think I’m a hooker!”

Keisai laughed.

“Are you?” asked the supposed doctor.  She could smell alcohol on his breath.

Korra fumed.  “NO!”

“Well, thank goodness for that,” he said, giving Tahno a sidelong glance. And in return, the pasty waterbender gave him a vulgar hand gesture.

Suyin raised a brow.  “You mean she’s not an apprentice of yours, Tarrlok?”

“I don’t _have_ those. That would be incredibly irresponsible.”  Tarrlok turned back to Korra.  “Now, If you wouldn’t mind running along and giving us some privacy...” He shooed her away with a gesture.

Korra scoffed. “Gladly!” She walked out the door and slammed it shut, crossing her arms and grinding her teeth.  She felt like she needed another shower.  Korra kicked the wall and stomped off in a random direction, almost running into Bolin as he rounded a corner.  

Bolin hopped backward with a comedic yelp and chuckled.  “There you are!  We were worried you weren’t coming.”

Korra pinched the bridge of her nose.  “Yeah, yeah, here I am.  Tell me, did I remember you guys wrong…” She gave Mako a much-less-pissed wave as he rounded the corner as well.  “Or did you say room 303 for practice?”

Mako and Bolin exchanged a look.  

“...I _knew_ we forgot something,” said Bolin.

“You’re not remembering wrong,” assured Mako.  It’s just that the Wolfbats commandeered it, because it has the best acoustics, or something.” He rolled his eyes.  “I can’t remember their dumb excuse.” He pinched his brow and sighed. “Sorry about that.  We only found out half an hour ago ourselves, and we can’t exactly use another room, since they’re all are booked.”

Korra frowned.  “So they can just do that?  Steal your reservation while they do whatever they’re doing?”

Bolin nodded.  “Yeah, pretty much.  Champs, five years running, so...they get perks.  Lots of perks.”

“Well, okay, but I walked in on them and they thought I was a hooker.”

“...not usually _those_ kinds of perks.”

Mako snickered into a laugh and shook his head.  “I’m sorry, but that’s---it’s funny.  Why’d they think that?”

Korra furrowed her brow.  “Well---no, it just kinda sounded like they did, but they were waiting for this Tarrlok guy, and they thought I was training under him, or something…” Korra felt her shoulders slump as the topic of mentoring came up again.

Bolin widened his eyes and dragged the both of them back around the corner.  “Korra, did you see anything?  Did they say anything? Actually, don’t tell me if they did.  Just---don’t even nod your head.  Don’t say _anything._ ”

Korra made a face and didn’t nod.  “Uhhh, okay? I don’t know what I would have seen besides the fact that they’re all assholes except the earthbender.  She just kinda sat there, looking mean.”

Mako put a finger to his lips, signaling them to be quiet.  The three of them peaked out around the corner to see Tarrlok and the Wolfbats leave the room. Suyin handed the ‘doctor’ a _bursting_ wad of cash and they whispered something to one another.  Korra focused on Tahno, Kuvira and Keisai, and everything else fell away.  Her skin scrawled as she sensed that something was definitely off about them.  Too much blood.   _Way_ too much blood in their bodies.  Korra paled and pulled back around the corner.  

“You guys need to go over there and tell them to go to the hospital,” whispered Korra.  “Right now.  Go.”

Mako and Bolin exchanged a confused look.  

“What?  Why?  They look fine,” said Mako.

“They’re not, I can tell.  Weight and height wise, they’ve got---” She held her tongue.   _Too much blood in their system,_ she thought. _Increased risk of heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism._ “Just trust me, okay? I know some healing...stuff.  Look, they might be huge assholes, but that doesn’t mean they should die, and if somebody doesn’t find a leech or perform bloodletting then---”

“Guys, they’re already gone.  We can use the gym now,” said Bolin, stepping out into the hallway and pointing toward the doors.

“Shit,” said Korra, dropping her bag and taking off into a sprint down the hall.  “I’ll be right back!”

“Damnit, Korra, they don’t want any help! They did that _on purpose!_ ”

Korra slowed her pace as she thought that through.  More blood. More oxygen, better cardiovascular output.  Better athletic performance. They were familiar with Tarrlok, so it wasn’t a one-time thing.  Which meant--- “Oh Spirits.” Korra steadied herself against the wall, covering her mouth as bile rose in her throat.

Mako helped stabilize her and sighed.  “That’s quite the reaction.”

“What they’re doing---” Korra struggled the find the words, swallowing her vomit.  “Barbaric doesn’t even begin to describe it.  What kind of crazy person puts their own blood back in their body after having it drawn?”

“That kind,” grumbled Bolin, grabbing her bag and stepping into the gym.

Mako lead her inside and closed the doors behind them.  “Look, blood doping was their choice.  They wanted a boost, so they found one.  I don’t like it either, but I’m guessing not nearly as much as you...”

Korra shrugged him off and took a few deep breaths.  “I have...very strong ideals when it comes to waterbending.  And medicine.”

“Even bloodbending?”

Korra turned to him, her gaze intense.   _Tread lightly,_ she told herself.    _Do not talk more than you need to.  It’s a minefield and you’re in the center of it._ “I wouldn’t call what just happened bloodbending.  Not exactly.  Even if that guy _did_ have a license, and I’m doubting that, I wouldn’t call it a hematological procedure either, since it’s not _direct_ harm...”  She shook her head.  “It’s wrong, is what it is.  It’s just wrong.”

“Korra---”

“No.  Not any more than _you are_ a combustion bender, Mako,” she said without hesitation.  She rolled out her shoulders.  “Look, can we just move on?  Focus on whether or not we work as a team?  What I came here to do today?” She rubbed her eyes.  “Just because I’m up at the ass crack of dawn doesn’t mean I’m a morning person.  I have a routine and I stick to it.  Gotta be consistent with yourself if you want to be for anything else.”

Mako seemed to consider her for a moment before nodding.  The lack of automatic fear and prejudice was...surprising.  Comforting.  Not that she’d been blabbing to everyone she met, but the news media liked to demonize those kinds of things.  All while conveniently ignoring the literal medical miracles performed every day. And she was so sick of it.

“Okay,” said Mako.  “Yeah, let’s get to work.” He cocked his head over to Bolin.  “Bo?”

Bolin grinned.   “Let’s get you into your gear.”

 

* * *

 

Korra wiggled in her padded suit, finding it just a little bit too loose.  Of course, they didn’t have one just for her, so she had to make do with Hasook’s.  “Little heavier than I thought it would be.”

“It’s tournament standard, but for all I know we could be fighting naked in the Varrick league,” said Bolin, putting his helmet on.

Korra chuckled at the idea.  Crazy.  But, then again, a bunch of naked, hot, sweaty athletes throwing themselves at one another in the middle of a sweltering stadium---okay that’s enough of that train of thought.  Korra blushed and looked away, which turned out to be towards Mako, who was also trying to avoid everyone’s gaze.  “Y’know, I don’t think I’d mind that so much...” She snickered with a playful shrug.

Mako cleared his throat.  “Anyway, we’re going to work on power first, then control.  Try to get a baseline of what all three of us can do in relation to one another.” He cracked his knuckles.  “After that, if you’re still up for it, Bolin and I have been jotting down some ideas for combination attacks.”

Korra shot him a crooked grin.  “Afraid I’ll overpower you, captain?”

“I’m actually hoping that you do.  Gives us more to work with.”

Korra huffed.  “C’mon, this can’t be _all_ business.  You have to find this as much fun as everyone else, or what’s the point?  No rules!”

Bolin clapped her on the back and grabbed her shoulders.   “Look at this girl!  She gets it!  What did I tell you this morning, Mako?  I said---”

Mako snorted.  “You said ‘she gets it’, I remember.  It’s _still_ the morning, Bo.”  He shrugged.  “But you’ve got a bigger point there, Korra.  We have to think outside the box for this, and if we’re not enjoying ourselves, then we may as well drop out.”

Korra smiled and leaned forward.  “See? There’s that positive attitude.  You should wear it more often.  Suits you.”

“I’m a bigger fan of brooding, actually,” he said with a smile.  “‘Suits me’, huh? Said the same thing last night. You _really_ want to see me in a suit, don’t you?”

Korra shrugged and bent the water out of her belt, swirling it around her in a tight circle.  “Maybe.” She kinda did.

Bolin looked between them and cracked his knuckles.  “...you guys know I’m still here, right?”

“That’s never stopped _you,_ ” teased Mako.

“Hey, if we can’t banter, we can’t have a team,” said Korra.  “Chemistry is everything.  And you can’t have it with just anybody.”

“That...is a very good point.”

Korra nodded.  “Okay, so, what is this? Last one standing, anything goes?”

“Exactly,” said Mako.  “Until we basically can’t hit each other anymore, because we’ve learned _exactly_ how each of us fight, this is how we practice.  Best thing I could come up with for something like this.”

“It’s a good idea, actually.” said Korra, taking a closer look at the gym’s interior.  Weights, mostly metal, but the floor and walls were earth.  Favored earthbenders, just like the arena.  “Not like we can practice in the park without hurting somebody. You can learn a lot about a person just by fighting them, too.”  She blinked.  “Wait, won’t this completely destroy the gym?  Are they okay with that?  They can’t be okay with that.”

“Normally, they wouldn’t be, but since we can’t _all_ get special treatment like the Wolfbats and use the new arena before they’re done building it, Varrick’s footing the bill for any property damage.”

Korra eyed Mako.  “That’s insane.”

He shrugged.  “So is Varrick.  Everything about this is.”

“Yeah, okay, fair point.  We can just go nuts, then?”

“Pretty much.” Bolin stomped his foot, raising half a dozen earth disks.  “On three.  One.  Two.   _Three!_ ”

Korra ducked under a wide stream of fire and cut through stone aimed at her stomach like it was tissue paper, water spinning and striking out around her like a vengeful river.  She reached out, grabbed Mako with a water-arm, and tossed him into his brother, closing the distance as she surfed just above the ground...and straight into the path of series of stone pillars, rising up beneath her. She fell backwards and rolled to her feet, wrapping herself into a water bubble and strafing around the room.  She slung icicles and wide arcs of water at Bolin, who was preoccupied with trying to bend half the floor at his older brother.  

Bolin pulled back the earth and rose a cornered wall of concrete, fire and water splaying off of the stone. The barrier exploded, launching stone shrapnel flying towards her and Mako.  Mako dodged, firebending up and off the gym wall to strike from above, pushing his brother back against the wall with a series of quick jabs of fire and kicks before he hit the ground.  Korra caught the rocks in a stream of water and drowned them into mud.  She hocked the heavy globs at their helmets, the muck splattering across their face shields.

Bolin bent his helmet clean while Mako wiped his off.  They exchanged a look and focused on her, finally realizing that teaming up wasn’t a bad idea.  Korra grinned.  On a small scale, they were already tearing the room apart.  In the arena, well…

If everything worked out, it was going to be one helluva sight to behold.

 

* * *

 

Korra hunched over, sweating profusely, and her legs wobbled.  She made Mako, who was just as drained as she was, slip on a tiny patch of ice and he fell on his back with a pained groan.  Bolin was already down for the count, snoring up a storm.      

Nine rounds.   _Nine rounds_ of the regimen and they’d managed destroy the gym not just once, but eight times.  Which is why they had more than one round in the first place, and even then those were pretty arbitrary.  They needed to take breaks to make sure everything didn’t collapse in on itself.  The walls and floor were torn apart and metal beams cracked from ice expansion; scorch marks covered everything that wasn’t wet, turned to rubble, or slathered in mud.  

Korra pulled off her helmet and tossed it the ground.  “...did I win?” she asked, barely, feeling whoozy. Not much like a winner at all.

“Yeah,” mumbled Mako, breathing heavily on his back and staring at the ceiling.  “Yeah...you won that one…”

Korra collapsed beside him and chuckled, so very tired.  “Woohoo…” She raised her fist to the air, only for it to fall back down.  “Bolin got three, you won three, and...I got three.  I think.”

“You did good.” Mako groaned and looked around. “We should help clean up...”

“Yeah.”

“Today, though,” he said, turning to her.  “Worth it?”

Korra flashed him a lazy smile. “Worth it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Blood doping is an actual real thing. Look it up. It's exactly as horrifying and barbaric as it's portrayed here, if not moreso.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_doping#Notable_blood_doping_cases)
> 
> Tried to introduce our "Russian Team/Ivan Drago" equivalent in a way that felt organic and gave us a taste of who they are and what they're like. Suyin being their coach will only become more interesting, trust me. Humanizing them is a priority (well, not so much Tahno) since well, making them just one-dimensional jerks is boring and lazy. As for Tarrlok and his 'bloodbending', well, that's kinda gonna be a decently big thing in this story/universe. Bloodbending vs Hematology (Harm vs Heal), and the medicinal applications of the substyle. It's something Beech27 and I thought about quite a bit individually, but also together, because outside of Amon's 'fancy lobotomy' in the series, there isn't really any exploration into this idea.  
>    
> Airbags weren't popularized (or made that well) until the 1990s, but I figured that Future Industries could make it happen. I also think it's a good pre-introduction to Asami, and all that entails, especially when we include the SatoStereo and "Kept Us Up" from the last chapter. As for Korra's clock radio, it's based off the General Electric model that my mom used in the '70s, and then gave to me, which I still use today. It makes this ungodly alarm noise that's like nothing else. The Sun Warrior thing is a fun little poke at how placards "PLEASE STAND BY" used to have Native American images on them. And yeah, that's Keisai from iviscrit's "Ironclad", who we, with her help of course, altered to fit the role of the firebender, (he's aged down to around 27) which honestly started as a joke at first but the more Beech27 and I thought about it the more it made sense. He balances out the 'bad guy' team by being a bit of a middle ground between Tahno and Kuvira. 
> 
> Beech27 and I ran into some problems with the Fire Ferrets actually practicing how to blow shit up, since they'd have to repair any facility they used everytime...and considering just how HUGE the arena is...it got tricky. There really isn't a 'regular' sport we could work off of to find a solution, so slapping Varrick on the problem hopefully worked. In the end, it does give us a better sense of how ridiculous and chaotic this new league is. Not just the sport itself, but the entire organization! 
> 
> The opening sequence (Korra's morning routine) is basically par for the course in stories like this (Underdog/Sports), as it gives us a very intimate look at our protagonist in their natural state, preparing themselves for the day ahead. It's a narrative tool I've always enjoyed when done right, because it can really add depth to a character without any dialog, and build the world around them at the same time. Example: the stuffed polar bear dog is adorable, but also makes me sad because of the many, many things it could imply. Another being the layout and location of her apartment; it's very small, but she's not living in poverty. Doesn't own a car, very sensible with her money, though her one creature comfort appears to be her cassette player. And back then, Walkmans were not cheap. 
> 
> I'm honestly glad we were forced to wait for RevyDutch to compose the music for this one, because otherwise Beech and I may not have realized that we forgot something EXTREMELY important about Korra's character that we simply could not overlook. And by 'forgot' I mean we found clues and dots to connect in what was already written that was probably the result of my subconscious actually knowing that hey, you can't forget that Korra IS NOT neurotypical. Hell, what we figured out makes EVERYTHING ELSE make so much more sense, too! Like, seriously. Her motivation for shit got 10x more compelling and justified.
> 
> And, of course: The news report cluing us in that there was something similar to WWII that happened in this timeline, and, unlike RRaU, there actually IS a Cold War going on. And nuclear material is more a code word for 'spirit vines', as it's a closely guarded secret as to how those weapons are made. After all, since Republic City isn't covered in vines, the only place to get them is in the Foggy Swamp, which is pretty deep inland. But that's really all just set dressing to set the time period, and kind of a joke, too. 
> 
> "Boring, same old thing." eh? :P
> 
> So, how was the music? Did it sync up well with the 'montage' (we did some testing on that and apparently it did)? Did you enjoy it? What'd you folks think of that whole 'blood doping' thing, and the flirting and the action and the characterization we've got going on? How'zat Makorra flirting workin'? Y'know, all that good stuff. Remember, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> For extra fun things, including shenanigans, you can follow [beech27](http://beech27.tumblr.com), [progmanx (me)](http://progmanx.tumblr.com) and [itsrevydutch on tumblr!](http://itsrevydutch.tumblr.com)


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